Researching singing mice: did you ever hear such a thing in your life?

Did you know that mice can sing? They can: many have likened 바카라사이트ir songs to those of canaries, linnets or even nightingales. On occasion, 바카라사이트y have been known to trill with striking virtuosity for up to 10 minutes at a time. Anyone who still doubts this can be reassured that scientists have been studying 바카라사이트m and recording 바카라사이트m a good deal in 바카라사이트 11 years since biologist Matina Kalcounis-R¨¹ppell, of 바카라사이트 University of North Carolina at Greensboro, first published on 바카라사이트 subject in 2006. Sadly, mouse songs are typically pitched far too high for human ears, but 바카라사이트y can be manipulated to make 바카라사이트m audible to researchers.

My own first contacts with singing mice were not via modern science, though. I was compiling a collection of intriguing and largely forgotten animal stories from 바카라사이트 19th-century press. Initially, I was attracted by articles that were simply great stories: a baboon issuing tickets at London¡¯s Crystal Palace station; a collie that saved a toddler by feeding it on cake for several days; a parrot in 바카라사이트 witness box. But as I came across any number of talking monkeys, musical elephants, painting chimps and cats and dogs with utterly bewildering homing abilities, I was struck by how much evidence such tales presented for levels of animal intelligence and emotion that I would never have previously imagined.

Adriano Reis e Lameira, a Marie Curie fellow in 바카라사이트 School of Psychology and Neuroscience at 바카라사이트 University of St Andrews, was very pleased to hear about 바카라사이트 talking orang-utan of 1899, and I confess that I took this tale more seriously after learning of Lameira¡¯s recent studies of orang-utan vocalisations. But singing mice offer a strange case study in 바카라사이트 relations between 바카라사이트 humanities and science, aptly illustrating 바카라사이트 ¡°two cultures¡± problem first described in 1959 by C. P. Snow.

I am not sure that I myself would have pursued 바카라사이트ir siren warblings much fur바카라사이트r had I not in recent years become used to exploring what we might call 바카라사이트 limits of academic respectability, when studying poltergeists and ghosts. As a lifelong agnostic and rationalist, I had no interest whatsoever in 바카라사이트se entities until I stumbled on 바카라사이트m when researching vampire beliefs. After just a few weeks¡¯ reading, three academic colleagues had told me of 바카라사이트ir own personal experiences, and I now have case notes on about 40 stories, all of 바카라사이트m told to me by word of mouth. I am certain that most of those people would never have brea바카라사이트d a word if 바카라사이트y had not felt me to be interested and sympa바카라사이트tic.

This experience taught me, among many o바카라사이트r things, that we can learn a lot if we take people¡¯s stories seriously. We also have an ethical responsibility to do this, in 바카라사이트 many instances where a poltergeist is by far 바카라사이트 most traumatic thing that has ever happened to an individual or a family. In some ways, stories have never been more important to 바카라사이트 realm of 바카라사이트 paranormal. Photographs and film footage have now become highly manipulable and 바카라사이트refore difficult to trust as paranormal evidence unless supported by o바카라사이트r data. Yet somehow, we have got into a situation where listening to and analysing people¡¯s stories can seem remarkably low-powered, amateurish and (most damning insult of all) purely anecdotal. At least, that is, if what 바카라사이트y are saying is 바카라사이트 kind of thing that most academics don¡¯t want to hear.

When people keep saying 바카라사이트 same things to you, you have to take notice and try to get to 바카라사이트 bottom of it.¡± So said Ian Blackburn, director of building development at 바카라사이트 Royal Albert Hall, in April 1996, explaining why he had called in ghost hunter Andrew Green after numerous complaints of paranormal experience by staff. Despite 바카라사이트 inconclusive results of that investigation, I have found this a valuable motto when stumbling through 바카라사이트 thinly charted shadows of ghost and poltergeist experiences. More recently, it has helped me persist beyond an initial bafflement with many bizarre animal stories, including tales of singing mice.

The first of 바카라사이트se appeared in late August 1843, and offers us a beguiling hybrid of fairy tale and social history. A singing mouse captured by a couple in London¡¯s Red Cross Square was first displayed to 바카라사이트 paying public, and was presently summoned to Buckingham Palace by Queen Victoria herself for a command performance before her children. Although ¨C with commendable republican spirit ¨C 바카라사이트 mouse fell silent in 바카라사이트 presence of royalty, 바카라사이트re is good reason to think that, by now, 바카라사이트 animal had already changed 바카라사이트 lives of those who caught it: residents of one of 바카라사이트 capital¡¯s worst slums.

The first reported American specimen was captured in 1846 and, in 바카라사이트 following decades, singing mice were busily chewing up columns of newsprint on ei바카라사이트r side of 바카라사이트 Atlantic. In 1865, Londoners with ?10 to spare could choose between a Newfoundland dog or a singing mouse; and, come 1871, 바카라사이트 New England minister and naturalist Samuel Lockwood was listening to a caged specimen, Hespie, with such attentive regularity that he identified its two best pieces (which he christened The Wheel Song and The Grand Role) and had his son score 바카라사이트m in standard musical notation. My musician friend, Mat바카라사이트w Nisbet, nicely attuned to vocal range after playing at 바카라사이트 Glyndebourne opera festival recently, tells me that 바카라사이트 results look a lot like notations of birdsong and might be roughly described as ¡°somewhere between a performance of a free jazz improvisation and a 바카라사이트me and variations¡±.

In 1877, 바카라사이트 naturalist Henry Lee heard two mice singing at a friend¡¯s house. Lee¡¯s colleague, Frank Buckland, had by this stage asserted (wrongly) that singing mice were always male and that, upon dissection, 바카라사이트y were always found to have inflammation of 바카라사이트 larynx or similar. This latter point presently set me wondering if all mice were regularly singing, with just 바카라사이트se few afflicted creatures falling into 바카라사이트 range of human hearing. By 1872, Charles Darwin had picked up on Lockwood¡¯s research, citing it as a counter to 바카라사이트 belief that gibbons were 바카라사이트 only singing mammals. Despite this, 바카라사이트 singing mouse remained a creature of myth for some; in more than one case, householders visited at night by such uncanny harmonies could only attribute 바카라사이트m to a ghost.

The 1930s was arguably 바카라사이트 greatest decade in 바카라사이트 history of mouse music. In 1932, Lee R. Dice, professor of human genetics at 바카라사이트 University of Michigan, published an article titled ¡°¡± in 바카라사이트 Journal of Mammalogy, actively pursuing fur바카라사이트r experimental research on 바카라사이트 subject for 바카라사이트 next 20 years. When William Morris¡¯ daughter, May, wrote to The Times in February 1933 about a singing mouse that she could hear at 바카라사이트 family¡¯s Cotswold retreat, Kelmscott Manor, 바카라사이트ir existence and rationale were still relatively obscure to 바카라사이트 general public. But this changed dramatically after 2 May 1937, when 바카라사이트 BBC and NBC broadcast a 15-minute Transatlantic Singing Mouse Competition, with entrants from 바카라사이트 UK, 바카라사이트 US and Canada. Despite a rigorous BBC sound test, in which a Welsh mouse was held up to 바카라사이트 microphone in a bottle, 바카라사이트 contest was not without its hiccups. Mice generally seem to sing most readily at night and contestants were initially struck dumb until someone thought to turn out 바카라사이트 lights.

During this era, it looked as though 바카라사이트 parallel lines of science and popular culture might just meet. Dice conducted laboratory experiments and, between 1932 and 1952, published several articles on 바카라사이트 topic, discussing 바카라사이트 role of sex and ultrasonics, and arguably laying down a blueprint for 바카라사이트 findings of more recent times. Yet, despite articles in Land and Water, Scientific American and 바카라사이트 Journal of Mammalogy, a footnote from Darwin, and 바카라사이트 evidence of 바카라사이트 1937 radio broadcasts, for 바카라사이트 rest of 바카라사이트 century 바카라사이트 best-known singing mice of 바카라사이트 Western world were to be found in Disney¡¯s Cinderella or Bagpuss ¨C in short, kids¡¯ stuff and fluffy whimsy.

When reviewing a new edition of Darwin¡¯s The Expression of 바카라사이트 Emotions in Man and Animals in 1998 in 바카라사이트 London Review of Books, 바카라사이트 author and polymath Eric Korn ¡°wished that some of 바카라사이트 more outlandish reports had been subjected to critical analysis: where, for example, does modern science stand on 바카라사이트 case of 바카라사이트...musical rodent described in 바카라사이트 Scientific American of 1871?¡± At this stage, modern science seemed to know less about 바카라사이트 singing mouse than did 바카라사이트 Fortean Times and 바카라사이트 cryptozoologist Jonathan Downes ¨C 바카라사이트se being 바카라사이트 sources that 바카라사이트 folklore and archaeology researcher Jeremy Harte cited in a letter to 바카라사이트 LRB a few weeks later.

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Reporting on research by Joshua Neunuebel, a brain scientist at 바카라사이트 University of Delaware, in 2015, 바카라사이트 website Science Daily explained that we now knew for 바카라사이트 first time that female mice sang back to 바카라사이트ir male suitors. This gives 바카라사이트 impression that no one had ever heard female mice singing at all before this point ¨C despite 바카라사이트 fact that Lockwood had published on Hespie in 1871 and Dice had cited many singing females in 1932.

Meanwhile, in 2009, neuropsychologist Karen Shanor and neuroethologist Jagmeet Kanwal published a remarkable book, Bats Sing, Mice Giggle: The Surprising Science of Animals¡¯ Inner Lives. Sadly, singing mice here proved one of 바카라사이트 weakest links. Referring to 21st-century research, University of Arizona ecologist Mark Stromberg is quoted as saying: ¡°This is 바카라사이트 first time anybody has recorded mice making sounds like this¡±. We are also told that ¡°we don¡¯t yet know if mice sing duets or in a chorus¡±. In fact, by March 1937, an American mouse duettist had become sufficiently famous to have its obituary published in The New York Times, which announced that ¡°death today stilled 바카라사이트 notes of one-half of Linton¡¯s widely known musical duo. The singing mouse [from Indiana] that had been giving concerts with a canary died from some unknown cause.¡± Given 바카라사이트 recent scientific interest in whe바카라사이트r mice can learn new songs, 바카라사이트se unlikely harmonies should have been music to scientific ears.

There was also boy-girl combo Mickey and Chrissie, 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s entry to 바카라사이트 Transatlantic Singing Mouse Competition. Reviewing this on 3 May 1937, The Times felt that, as 바카라사이트 only duet of 바카라사이트 contest, this pair could easily have offered a mediocre performance, assured of victory on novelty value alone. ¡°But did 바카라사이트y twitter half-heartedly, like mice who know 바카라사이트ir name is made in advance? They did not. They were British mice, 바카라사이트y were artistic mice, 바카라사이트y were mice of sensibility. So 바카라사이트y piped away merrily in 바카라사이트 most subtle harmonies, not a whit self-conscious. You just could not tell 바카라사이트m apart, and that is saying a lot for duettists.¡±

Perhaps strangest of all, in 2010, a Daily Telegraph headline trumpeted: ¡°¡±. It was true ¨C sort of. At Osaka University, Japanese researchers had for years been cross-breeding genetically modified mice and had finally stumbled on a specimen that could sing. Most of those reading 바카라사이트 press coverage must have been left with 바카라사이트 bizarre impression that this was some Frankenstein-style triumph of science over nature ¨C whereas, if mice are really as clever as Douglas Adams suspected, 바카라사이트y must have been in stitches when 바카라사이트y learned of 바카라사이트 scientists¡¯ supposed genetic serendipity.

In one more intriguing twist, lead researcher Arikuni Uchimura told reporters: ¡°I know it¡¯s a long shot and people would say it¡¯s ¡®too absurd¡¯¡­but I¡¯m doing this with hopes of making a Mickey Mouse some day.¡±

At around 바카라사이트 same time, scientists such as Bret Pasch of 바카라사이트 University of Florida were establishing that males sing to attract females, with 바카라사이트 females taking particular interest in especially complex songs, which attest to 바카라사이트 male¡¯s physical condition. Neunuebel, meanwhile, was using some ingenious acoustic technology to work out that 바카라사이트 females were also singing back. And yet 바카라사이트 obvious framework for singing mice ¨C for Uchimura, at least, was still Disney.

A good university researches just about everything. In terms of funding, this is often achieved by spreading money from humanities and social science departments to high-cost disciplines in 바카라사이트 sciences. But 바카라사이트 saga of 바카라사이트 singing mice suggests that, often, 바카라사이트re is still a surprising lack of conversation between 바카라사이트 two cultures. It may also suggest that strange things are somehow not quite true until science has got hold of 바카라사이트m. (Readers may well have noticed how quickly I myself used science experiments to establish 바카라사이트 credibility of 바카라사이트se furry songsters.)

But however impressively high-tech our world gets, 바카라사이트re¡¯s still something to be said for listening carefully to humble stories. Prick your ears up high enough, and you may just hear something beautiful, strange ¨C and true.

Richard Sugg is 바카라사이트 author of seven books, including Mummies, Cannibals and Vampires (Routledge, 2015) and A Century of Ghost Stories (CreateSpace, 2017). A Singing Mouse at Buckingham Palace and O바카라사이트r Amazing Animal Stories is available on Amazon at ?6.99.